The Two Times Sheldon Met Penny
by AliceAtHeart
Summary: What if Sheldon and Penny met twice before she moved to Pasadena? What happens when Penny remembers these times, and Sheldon always had? Sheldon says there is no such thing as fate, Penny says he's a Whack-a-doodle. Shenny Here I go again guys!
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is an idea that just wont leave me alone, so I have to type it out! I haven't really thought beyond a few key points (aka the beginning and end), but that's never stopped me before! If you're new to my stories, welcome to the madness within, and if you're a loyal reader, welcome back old friend!

Fandom: The Big Bang Theory  
Rating: M (for a reason)  
Pairing: Shenny FTW  
Genre: Romance  
Summery: What if Sheldon and Penny met twice before she moved to Pasadena? What happens when Penny remembers these times, and Sheldon always had? Sheldon says there is no such thing as fate, Penny says he's a Whack-a-doodle.

* * *

It's funny how simple, every day things can trigger flashbacks. Some, we didn't even know we had. Little things like the smell of someone's soap, or the sound of a distinct bell. Or, in Penny's case, the taste of cheap gin. She didn't remember ever having the harsh liquid before, it was simply all that she could afford until her next Cheesecake Factory paycheck.

However, Penny had indeed tasted the dry, stinging drink before. It wasn't until that first gulp burned her throat that Penny remembered. Images flashed in front of her eyes, most she wished would have stayed hidden. The glass fell from her hand - crashing and spilling all over her carpet. Thank goodness she was too poor for anything but the cliché red SOLO cup.

She stood a moment, in the middle of her messy apartment. The images seemed like a bad dream - forgotten over time… but Penny knew the difference between a dream and a foggy alcoholic memory… Unfortunately. Fear and confusion gripped the blonde like a vice, so she did what she always did - turned it to anger.

A red haze filled her mind as she stormed across the hall - barefoot and clad in her favorite Hello Kitty pajamas. She didn't bother knocking - when did she ever? She knew the others would be out - living up _Anything Can Happen Thursday_, and like usual, Sheldon would be glued to his computer.

The lanky physicist looked up as the waitress barged in, her nostrils flaring. It seemed like a reflex for him to raise his arm and use it to shield his throat. Penny would have laughed - if the flashing images weren't still playing in her mind. How could she possibly forget?

"Why didn't you tell me that we slept together?" Penny hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"Penny, you're not making sense. Don't you think that if we had fallen asleep together, I would surly rem-"

"Why didn't you tell me we had _sex_!" She was sure the neighbors heard that one.

Sheldon froze, his eyes wide and his skin paler than usual. He had known! A part of Penny had hoped that he had forgotten that night like she did - even though it was practically impossible.

"Oh… that."

"Yes, _that,_ Sheldon. Why didn't you tell me? You could have said something when I moved in five years ago!" Truth be told, she thought he looked familiar, but couldn't place his face… Now she knew why.

_It was the night of her eighteenth birthday, and a few of her friends from her community college had decided to throw her a party. Because there was a nearby university, the male students were more than happy to open their dorms for the lovely ladies. _

_"Penny! I have been looking for you all night!" One of her friends, Jasmine, said as she threw an arm around Penny, nearly sending them both to the ground. The party had been going for a few hours, spanning over three dorms and hundreds of students. It was amazing security hadn't broken it up yet. _

_"I've been talkin' ta these guys!" Penny gestured wildly to the group of guys behind her. She had been drinking… a lot. The gin one of the guys had brought her was harsh, but it did the trick in getting her completely wasted. She had never tried gin before, but she was liking it. _

_"Get this, there's a teacher here!" Jasmine screamed in delight, her blue eyes sparkling. "He's one of those beautiful mind people! And get this, he's only like twenty-three!" As she spoke, she dragged Penny through the dancing students. _

_"No way! My party is officially the most kickassed party ever!" Penny screamed, earning a cheer from everyone in earshot. _

_"Yeah, and the guys that dragged him here say he's super virginal." Jasmine laughed into her cup, pausing to grasp Penny's forearm. "His name is Sam, or Steven or something… You totally have to deflower him!" Again, they snickered. _

_Jasmine pushed Penny through the rest of the crowed until a figure came into view. He was skinny, although he looked like a runner. He was dressed in a horribly mismatched outfit, but he had an innocent face. Shaggy brown hair hung in his deep blue eyes as he looked around nervously, moving away when people got too close. Even in her completely wasted state, Penny found it endearing. _

_"Hey! I'm Penny!" She gave him her warmest smile. _

_"Hello."_

That's where her memory fails her again. She didn't remember him giving her his name, or how they got back to her friend's dorm room. She can only remember - in blurry flashes - shared kisses, sloppy and needy. She could remember the way his hands moved nervously, but softly over her skin. No man had ever been so gentle with her - not even now. The only clear memory was his blue eyes - darkened with lust as he thrust into her, those skillful hands boxing her in.

"I thought you remembered and chose not to mention it." His voice was small, afraid even. She noticed that he tried to avoid eye contact, but seemed to be having trouble with that.

"No, Sheldon. I didn't." She sighed and sat on the couch.

Sheldon and Penny sat there, neither wanting to break the awkward silence to ask the unspoken question: What now? One thing was for certain - things would never be the same.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you all sooo much for your reviews, and don't worry, I wouldn't leave you hanging there!

* * *

She had tried to find the right words to say, the right questions to ask, but in the end Penny walked out of 4A in silence. Sheldon - the socially awkward genius he was, probably didn't even realize _why_ the situation was awkward.

She had tried all evening to pull the memories out of her mind, and even resorted to downing the rest of her gin. All that gained her was a long prayer session with the porcelain god. She tried to sleep to forget, and she thought sleep would come easy now that her stomach was empty… she was wrong.

The clock on her bedside table flashed a bright red 3:14, mocking her insomnia. Penny usually didn't have trouble falling asleep, in fact she could sleep pretty much anywhere, but of all things, Sheldon Cooper was the one keeping her awake. Her own mental voice taunted her… she had slept with Sheldon… Sheldon had seen her naked…

Well, Sheldon had seen her naked before, but that was quickly - Her thoughts cut off as another memory flooded her brain.

_"Why do you have the Chinese character for soup on your right buttock?"_

It had been what he asked her when he drove her to the hospital… but it hadn't been the first time he had asked…

_Penny had tried for a solid hour to warm up to Doctor Sexy (as she was calling him). Every time she tried to touch his arm, he would allow her, but not without flinching. He was probably just thankful that she got him away from the crowd and into Becca's dorm room. She could tell he was tense - maybe even nervous, and there was nothing better for that - in Penny's opinion - than a nice glass of liquor. _

_"Here, drink this." She shoved one of her friend's beers in his face. It wasn't liquor, but it would do. He looked like he would protest, but Penny would have none of that. When he opened his mouth to speak, Penny practically forced the neck of the bottle into his mouth, and giggled as he glared at her. She then mentioned that it was her birthday, and he was practically forced into doing what she said. Reluctantly, he started drinking the beer, and once the liquid was gone, his shoulders began to relax. _

_"I don't understand what we're doing here… It is _your_ party, and it is to my understanding that -"_

_"Shhhh." Penny quieted him as she sat her cup down. While her back was to him, Penny reached back and slowly started pulling on the zipper of her dress. She wasn't wearing a bra, so her back was bare, and she thanked the heavens that she had decided to wear a thong. She had just gotten a tattoo (a gift from her best friend) and regular underwear irritated it. _

_"Penny…" His voice was strained, and Penny couldn't help but smile. _

_"Yes, Sweetie?" She didn't want to admit to herself that in her alcohol induced fog, she had forgotten his name. _

_"Why do you have the Chinese character for soup on your right buttock?" _

_Penny turned to look at him, her brow raised. Here she was, practically naked, and he asks a stupid question? One that Penny doesn't even bother to register. Slowly, she turns, baring her chest to him. She smiles as his eyes shoot down and a bright blush joins the one created by the alcohol. _

_"Penny…I- I've never…"_

_She shushes him again and climbs on his lap. He opened his mouth to protest, but Penny covers it with her own. She groans into his mouth and threads her fingers through his hair._

"Holy crap on a cracker…" Penny mumbled into the darkness of her apartment. Had she really done that? She had practically raped the poor guy!

With that thought in mind, Penny nudged on her slippers, getting them on the wrong feet at first. Quietly she dug around her apartment, too comfortable in the dark to switch on a light. Finally, she found the spare key to 4A and padded across the hall.

Naturally, the lights were out and the apartment was quiet. Penny wasn't sure if Leonard had come home, so she had to stay quiet. It was bad enough that she couldn't fully remember everything that had happened, but if the guys knew, she would feel like an even bigger slut. That makes three out of four guys that she had slept with… Okay, so she didn't really sleep with Raj, but if he hadn't been so trigger happy, she would have. God… she _was_ a big 'ol five.

She didn't bother knocking on Sheldon's door, knowing full well he would just scream and wake up Leonard. So, carefully she slunk into his room, closing the door behind her. Penny tried not to laugh at Sheldon's vampire like pose… had he slept like that the night they spent together? Had he even spent the night? It seemed like the memories were returning at their own pace, and she just had to sit back and let them happen. She could always ask Sheldon, but that thought mortified her.

"Sheldon…" She whispered his name when she reached the side of his bed. He didn't answer, so she tried again. Just as the last syllable was out of her mouth, he shot up, ready to scream his usual 'Danger'. Luckily, Penny was quicker, and managed to clamp a hand over his mouth. "Sheldon, it's me, Penny."

"Penny?" He questioned when she removed her hand. "You're in my room. People aren't allowed to be in my room…" She chose not to notice that he had said nothing about personal contact… Come to think of it, he had always been more lenient with Penny when it came to touching… Oh God, it's been in front of her the whole time!

"I know Sheldon, I just wanted to say sorry. I remembered more from that night. Sheldon, I practically _forced_ you to-"

"Penny-"

"I know Sheldon, people can't be in your room, but I really just want to apologize!"

"Penny, as I was saying before you cut me off-" He paused to give her a condescending look. "I guarantee you that although my higher judgment was impaired that night, I in no way was opposed to the activities we participated in." Even in the dark she could see his blush.

Had Sheldon just said he wanted to sleep with her? "Oh… well… goodnight." She couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Goodnight Penny." And with a small smile, Penny made her way back over to her apartment and finally sunk into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you all sooo much for your reviews! They mean so much to me! If you ever have a suggestion for a chapter, please just leave it in a review! I take all of them into consideration.

We get to see Sheldon AND Penny's points of view in this one 8D

* * *

Sheldon wasn't good with understanding emotions… Everyone knew that. However, even he could tell there was some kind of awkward tension between Penny and himself. He hadn't missed the looks the guys had been sending their way either. It was like they always had to be on opposite sides of the room. Penny sat too close to Sheldon one night, and jumped up before her bottom had even settled. He didn't understand why it was a big deal for her, she was after all a big 'ol five.

He didn't want her to know. He had admitted that truth to himself the day she moved in and looked right through him. For a moment, he though she had been flirting, that she might have even remembered their time together. He'd be lying if he said his heart rate didn't speed up at the sight of her. What were the chances of Penny moving in next door? Well, of course he could easily calculate that, but that wasn't the point. He remembered that night in detail, how could he forget? He had woken up, alone and in some strange dirty apartment. That was when his fear of germs became uncontrollable.

To make an awkward situation worse, Penny had been barging into his room at all hours of the night with every little bit of memory restored to her. The latest was to tell him that he was wearing a Star Wars shirt that night. He was surprised she remembered such a trivial detail. She didn't remember the most important thing about that night, not yet. Sheldon wouldn't tell her either, because he liked to be thought of as unemotional.

And although he would never tell her, Penny was the one that made him that way. Sure, he wasn't the most open of people before that night, but it just got worse from there. It was like every time someone touched him, it would remind him of her… and he didn't _want_ to remember her. Truth was, even now he wasn't void of emotions. He loved his family, he hated Wheaton… and he lusted for Penny… Not that he would even admit that out loud. Sheldon wasn't good with understanding emotions… but that didn't mean he didn't have them.

* * *

It was the final piece of the puzzle, and it was the _worst_. The memory hit Penny, out of nowhere this time, she almost wished she knew what had triggered it. With that last - _horrible_ - flashback, her memory was complete…

_She wasn't sure what had awoken her, only that her stomach turned and her head pounded. Penny silently promised herself that she would never drink gin again, it just wasn't worth it. A quick glance around told her that she wasn't at home - not that she should be surprised. A weight around her waist told her she wasn't alone - again, no surprise._

_Penny took a chance and glanced back to look at the man's face, but it was buried in one of the pillows. Her memory was foggy - probably because she was still drunk - and she was having trouble remembering what the man looked like. She did remember, however, that she was his first. It filled her with some sort of pride to be this man's first, even if she didn't really remember his name._

_Carefully, she slid out of the bed and found her dress, hoping not to wake the man up. She wasn't good with the morning - or in this case, still night - after. Because she _was_ his first, he was guaranteed to read more into it than she did. Slipping her clothes back into place, Penny slinked out of the dorm, not bothering to look back._

Blinking back tears, Penny found herself standing in front of 4A. How could she have been such a complete… _slut_! She was a horrible person back then, but never really bothered to think about what happened to the men she left behind. For what seemed like the hundredth time in the last week, Penny barged into the guys' apartment without knocking.

Sheldon, who was standing at his ever-present white board glanced back at her before returning to his work. "Leonard's working late tonight, Penny." He said simply. She didn't blame him really, she had practically been avoiding him.

"I left you…" The words came out rough, and it was then that she realized she had started to cry. With a slightly startled look, Sheldon turned to her. "I took advantage of you, and left before you even woke up… God, you must hate me…"

* * *

Sheldon laced his hands behind his back, if only so Penny wouldn't realize that he was twisting them. "I don't hate you Penny. If I hated you, you would not have access to this apartment."

"Sheldon! Would you stop being so… _you_ for a minute!" It seemed he had said something wrong. Cautiously, Sheldon had taken a step back. "We thought - we _all_ thought - that you didn't have a deal! Is it because of me? Did I _break_ you?"

At this, he scoffed. "I am not _broken_ Penny, I just choose to refrain from carnal activities. And for the record, I do have a deal." He mumbled, turning to the white board so she wouldn't see his blush. He hated blushing, it was so _human_.

"What?" She stepped around him, occupying the small space between him and the white board. Sheldon wanted to retreat, but the scent of vanilla caught his nose, and it was as if his soles were stuck. "We've never seen you with a woman!"

" I have looked at other women Penny." Sheldon sighed and tried to look anywhere but her face. "They were just… _wrong_."

"What do you mean wrong?" Her voice was low now.

Sheldon, who really had no choice but to answer honestly, finally met her eyes. "They weren't you."

And then, she was kissing him.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hey guys! If you're a True Blood fan, check out my latest fic: The Blue Room Lounge  
Thanks to everyone that reviewed!  
This is just a _short_ little update because I felt bad for leaving you guys hanging.

* * *

"Penny." Sheldon breathed her name, but it wasn't in the usual manner men said her name after she kissed them. She blinked up at him as he held her by the shoulders. Why was he so calm about this? "You have to understand that as my first, I hold you in very high regards. That is, I don't expect to relive that night. Especially if it's just your way of making amends with your conscious."

"Sheldon, you're gonna have to break down what you're saying, my minds kinda foggy right now."

And with a huff, her neurotic neighbor was back. "I held onto a fascination of you because you were - perhaps still are - something special to me. I don't want to engage in coitus with you just as an attempt to right what was wronged."

"Oh…" It was the first time Penny had ever been rejected, and it was Sheldon Cooper of all people that had rejected her. "I see…"

"I have an aversion to physical contact, as you well know, but I wouldn't be opposed to a preliminary shift in our relationship paradigm, if that's what you desire."

It took Penny a moment to dissect what Sheldon was saying… "Sheldon did you just ask me out?"

"Really Penny, I don't know how I could have made it any clearer." He folded his arms over his chest and gave her the condescending look she had come to know so well. Penny might have slept with Sheldon years ago, but that was not the man that stood in front of her. Like her, he had changed. "Of course this would be a beta test of sorts, to gauge our compatibility on a more intimate level. It will take a while for me to become comfortable with regular physical contact, and it is very likely I never will."

"I get it Sheldon." Penny nodded with a sigh. God, was she really considering going out with Sheldon Whack-a-doodle Cooper? "We should probably just keep this - uh- beta test between us. It's going to be weird enough without the guys poking fun at us." She meant him, but didn't want him to feel targeted.

"But Penny, I can't lie."

"Don't lie then. If any of the guys specifically asks 'are you in a secret relationship with Penny?' feel free to answer truthfully.

"Very well." Sheldon agreed after a moment. "I'll start on the first draft of the relationship agreement." With that, he turned and went to his room, leaving a confused Penny behind. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

"Sheldon… give me your hand." Penny huffed and held out her hand for his. She had signed his crazy contract days ago, and was currently working on his germaphobia (section D, paragraph five). Sheldon had agreed to trying to be more open to physical contact - even mild - if Penny agreed to keep her apartment clean. So here they sat, in the middle of Penny's clean apartment, Sheldon pouting like a toddler.

"But Penny! You didn't wash your hands!"

"I'm not going to wash my hands every time I want to touch you Sheldon." She rolled her eyes and forcefully grabbed his hand. "See, not so bad huh?"

Sheldon sat ramrod straight and looked at their joined hands. "I suppose not…"

"Good, now do you want to watch Doctor Who?"

"Yes, please!"


End file.
